I'm More At Home When I'm With You
by SomethingMoreCreative
Summary: Percy ripped open the letter and read it right then and-what? She was coming to New York? In which, Percy and Annabeth are grade school pen pals, and somewhere in between they develop a deeper connection. AU. Written for pjowriters on tumblr. Complete.


**A/N: This is a prompt that I got on pjowriters on tumblr. Go follow us! My other sweethearts write awesome fics too, so head over there and check us out. This is a pen pal AU, and I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****_Percy Jackson and the Olympians_**** or anything else you may recognize. **

_-11302014-_

As soon as Percy had dumped his backpack on the ground beside the door and kissed his mom on the cheek, he ran back downstairs to get the mail. He could hear his mom laughing as he ran out the door, and he smiled. It happened at least once a week. He didn't know why she wasn't used to it by now.

He jerked the small mailbox open and shuffled through the bills and other letters until he found the one with her name written in the return address box. _Annabeth Chase. _A few other people were standing around getting their mail too, but Percy didn't care. Besides, most of them just smiled at him and walked away. Except for Creepy Greg. He eyed Percy before the old man walked down the hall and disappeared into his own apartment.

Oh, the perks of living in an apartment building in New York.

He couldn't wait to read Annabeth's letter, so he sat down on the floor and read it right then, running his fingertips over her handwriting.

_Dear, Seaweed Brain,_

_Are you sitting right underneath your mailbox reading this? I'm wondering what the other people in your apartment building think you're doing. Or maybe you actually waited until you got back to your own apartment this time? _

_I know that you like to see my handwriting, so I figured that I would give you the best news through this letter. You remember the final that I had for my college class? Well, I aced it! My dad was so proud that he took off work and told me that we were going on vacation. _

_To New York. _

_We're leaving in one week, so by the time that you get this letter, it should only be a day or two away! Are you excited? _

_Call me whenever you get this letter! I can't wait to see you!_

_Love, _

_Annabeth_

Percy stared at her words on the paper for a few seconds before the information really hit him.

She was coming to New York. Percy was going to get to see Annabeth _in person. _She would be standing _right in front_ of him in less than a week.

He jumped up and tore up the stairs, yelling out to his mom the whole way. When he got back to the door, he barged inside and ran straight to her, shoving the letter in her face.

"What, Percy?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

"Read it, Mom! Read it!" He shouted.

She smiled and took Annabeth's letter, reading it out loud for him to hear. When she finished, she smiled and handed it back to him. "So, she's coming to New York?"

Percy stared at her for a second, and something clicked into place. He said, "You _knew?"_

She started laughing again, and she ran a hand through his hair, "Of course I knew. Frederick called me a few months ago and told me that he was bringing her out here to see you since she had been working so hard with her school work."

"This is so awesome! I'm going to get to see Annabeth in person! Oh my god, I have to call her!" He said in a rush, snatching her letter back and dashing to his room.

Back in elementary school, Percy had been in a program that paired dyslexic kids up with other dyslexic kids across the country. The program had been pretty fun, and Percy had really enjoyed letting his mom help him write a letter to this girl in California for the first time. He had included a picture of himself (granted this was in the fourth grade) and about a week later, he had gotten a letter back from a girl named Annabeth. She had also given him a picture of herself. Percy still had it hanging on his wall in his room with her other pictures.

They had been in the program for that one school year, but they had never stopped sending each other letters. When Annabeth and Percy both got a computer, they started emailing too, and once they had cell phones they started texting and calling each other. The first time that Percy had heard her voice, he had laughed and reached out, wishing that she was there with him.

They told each other everything. Sometimes Percy wondered how he had gotten a best friend that lived on the other side of the country. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever get to see her in person.

Now, she was coming to New York.

Percy dialed Annabeth's number from memory as he flopped down onto his bed. His hair was still a little damp from swim practice, and he smelled like chlorine. He would take a shower once he got off of the phone.

Three rings later, he heard, "Hello?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He said immediately.

She laughed, "Hi, Seaweed Brain, I see that you finally got your letter. I've been _dying _to tell you. I almost slipped up three times yesterday."

He grinned, "When are you leaving?"

"On Wednesday morning, so two days from now," she said.

"Oh my god," he said again. "I can't believe that you're coming _here."_

She laughed, and her voice sounded just as breathless as his did. She said, "I know. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to _hug _you."

Annabeth laughed again, "I know. This is crazy."

"Like, I'm not going to know how to act with you here in person, so if I'm weird you'll just have to ignore me," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Well I wouldn't expect anything less," she teased. Percy could _hear _her smile.

"That's nice. Your faith in me is astounding," he said.

She huffed playfully, "I don't know what you expect from me then."

"Where are you?" Percy asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm at school, eating lunch. Well, I'm actually reading my book and talking to you now. Piper is sick today so I'm at a table by myself," she explained.

"Oh," he said.

"What about you?"

"I just got home from swim practice. I need to do my homework, but…" Percy trailed off, hoping that Annabeth would take the bait and offer to help him over Skype tonight.

She sighed on the other side of the line, "You're not going to do it. You're just going to talk me into helping you over Skype tonight."

"You're right," Percy said cheekily. "Remind me when you get to New York, and I'll take you out for pizza."

"You owe me a _lot _of pizza then."

Percy laughed and rolled over, pressing his smile into his pillow. "How long are you staying?"

"A week. We get there on Wednesday, and then we're leaving the next Wednesday. I think that our plane lands sometime around four, so you should be out of school by then," she said.

"This is so awesome," he said. "I can't believe this. Two days and you'll be standing in front of me."

"Two days," she agreed. "Okay, I have to go to class. I'll Skype you when I get home since you're incapable of doing your own homework."

"Thank you, Annabeth! I love you!" Percy sang into the phone, grinning from ear to ear.

"Love you too, dork," she said, hanging up quickly.

He let his phone drop to his side, and he sighed happily. Annabeth would be here in two days. Two days and he would get to meet his best friend in person.

It couldn't come soon enough.

Ω

"Percy, stop jumping up and down," his mom said lightly, grabbing his arm to try and get him to stop, but she was smiling.

"Mom! Annabeth is going to be here in like two minutes. I can't _not _be excited," he said, standing up on his toes and looking for her.

After school and swim practice, Percy had gone straight home to meet his mom. They were both going to the airport to pick up Annabeth and her dad, and Percy _could not wait any longer. _He had been texting and snapchatting Annabeth all day, but she hadn't answered since she got on the plane.

Right now, Percy was a bundle of nerves. He was really excited to meet Annabeth in person, but what if something went wrong? What if they were different in person? What if she expected something else from him? What if—?

Before Percy could let his paranoid thoughts continue, he saw a flash of blonde curls, and then he froze on the spot. The crowd of people parted, and his vision tunneled.

The first thing that Percy could think was that Annabeth was taller than he imagined. She was easily five foot seven, but Percy had already passed six feet so he was definitely taller than her.

The second thing that Percy thought was that she was _insanely _pretty. Like, she was gorgeous. Percy had no idea that his best friend was so beautiful. The pictures didn't do her justice.

Annabeth was wearing a pair of jeans and a red long sleeve shirt with a scarf. She had her blonde curls hanging around her shoulders, and as Percy watched, she pushed one behind her ear. He had seen her do it a thousand times over Skype, but there was something about seeing her do it in person that made it almost ten times as real. She had a backpack tossed across her back, and she had her phone in her hand. After a few seconds, she looked up, and her gray eyes met Percy's.

She stood as still as Percy did for a second before she smiled so big and started running toward him. There was a man behind her—Percy assumed it was her dad—and he grabbed her backpack before she took off.

Percy smiled too and stepped forward, opening his arms. She jumped into them the next second, and _god _Percy couldn't think. She smelled like lemons. Her arms were tight around his neck. She was laughing quietly, and she was shaking her head, rubbing her nose against his shoulder.

After a few seconds that weren't long enough in Percy's opinion, Annabeth pulled back enough so she could see his face. She was grinning, and she set her hand on top of his face.

"Oh my god," she said. Her voice sounded different in person. Percy wasn't very poetic, but she was literally music to his ears. "It's really you."

He grinned and tightened his grip on her waist. He said, "Annabeth. Annabeth, I can't believe this. You're here. Oh my god."

She ran her fingers over his face and threaded one of her hands into his hair, straightening it out. She grinned, "I've wanted to fix your hair since the first time that we Skyped."

He laughed and moved one of his hands to cup her cheek. Her eyes were sparkling happily, and Percy never wanted to let go. He said, "Annabeth, I really can't believe you're here. This is insane."

"I know," she said, laughing again and clutching his shoulders tighter. "Percy. Oh my god."

He buried his face in her hair and took a shaky breath.

Annabeth pulled back from him again just to stare at his face. He stared back at her, and her gray eyes were a million times prettier in person. This moment didn't compare to all of the FaceTimes and Skypes. This was _better. _

"Okay, Percy, let _me _hug her now!" His mom said from his left. Percy glanced over at her, and she was holding out her arms and biting her lip eagerly.

Annabeth laughed, and Percy let her slip out of his arms. He had a stupid grin on his face as he watched his two favorite people in the whole world hug and smile at each other.

As they hugged, Annabeth's dad walked up to them, and Percy introduced himself, smiling and holding out his hand. "Hi, Dr. Chase. I'm Percy Jackson."

"I've heard plenty about you, Percy," Dr. Chase said, smiling. "It's nice to finally meet the boy that my daughter has been talking to every day for the past seven years."

Percy laughed, but his face felt a little red. He said, "It's great to meet you too. I can't believe that you guys are actually out here. It's really awesome."

Dr. Chase smiled again, and he shifted his attention to Percy's mom. As they introduced themselves, Annabeth slipped her arm around Percy's waist. He put his arm around hers too, and he smiled down at her.

Annabeth pinched his side, and Percy squeaked. She laughed and said, "Percy, this is crazy."

"Better than talking on the phone?" He said with a smile.

She hip checked him, _"Way _better than the phone."

Ω

Percy dragged himself out of the pool twenty minutes after all of the other guys did. He had stayed a little later than normal because he wanted to power through his sore shoulders, and plus his coach was demanding his best right now, especially if he wanted to keep his scholarship to NYU in the fall.

Yep. Percy was going to college, and he was going to be on the swim team. It was pretty great actually. His mom and Annabeth were both really proud of him.

He grabbed a towel from the ground and spoke with his coach for a few seconds before he headed toward the locker room to shower and change. He was meeting Annabeth back at her hotel so the faster he finished the faster—

As he walked past a set of bleachers, Percy heard a whistle, and he looked up sharply, expecting some of the girls in his class to be sitting there laughing. Sometimes they did that. And sure enough, there was a blonde sitting there and—

Wait.

What the heck was _Annabeth _doing here?

"Annabeth?" Percy asked stupidly, standing there with his jaw hanging open.

She smiled at him and walked down the bleachers toward him. Percy held his arms out, and he picked her up off the bleachers and set her on the floor, hugging her tightly. She was laughing, and when she realized that he was still dripping wet, she shoved at his chest until he let go.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, twirling one of her curls around his finger.

"Watching you swim, of course. I've been hearing about this sport for the past seven years, and I thought that I should check it out. _Especially _since my favorite swimmer doesn't have a swim meet while I'm here," she said playfully. "You looked really good."

He shrugged, "I'm okay."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "Learn to take a compliment. Now, as much as I love your outfit right now, you should probably go change because you're taking me to the movies."

Percy had completely forgotten that he was only wearing a speedo. He blushed to the root of his hair and said, "I'm taking you to the movies?"

She nodded and ran her hand through Percy's still wet hair. She smiled, "Yes, you're taking me to the movies, and then we're meeting our parents for dinner at your apartment. From there will we finish all of your homework, and we might even convince your mom that it's okay for you to skip school tomorrow. Assuming the plan works, we can watch movies all night, and I can sleep on your couch."

"Well, you've got it all figured out, don't you?"

She grinned at him and pinched his side, "Of course I do. Now go change!"

Ω

Holding hands had become one of their things now.

Percy smiled to himself when she squeezed his fingers. They were sitting on the couch, watching movies, and Annabeth was right next to him. She had her legs tucked under her body. Her shoulder was pressed against his, and their linked hands were sitting on Percy's thigh.

He guessed that they had spent so long apart from each other that the physical contact was normal. He didn't want to let go of her. He had spent long enough staring at her through a computer screen or talking to her through a phone speaker. He wanted to be next to her for as long as he could.

"All right, kids," his mom said suddenly. She got up from her chair and started toward her bedroom. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up all night. I'm not letting Percy skip school tomorrow just so you guys can sleep the day away."

Annabeth laughed at his mom's teasing, "We won't, Sally. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"No problem, dear. Goodnight," she said, patting Percy on the head and running her hand across Annabeth's back.

Percy shifted his gaze back to the television, and a few seconds later, he heard his mom's bedroom door close.

Annabeth shifted closer to him, and he let his arm slip around her waist, pulling her even closer. She tossed her legs over his knees, and Percy pulled their hands closer to him, cradling them against his chest.

She sighed happily, and Percy smiled at the sound. Her head fell over onto his shoulder.

"Hey, we're watching _Frozen _next," she said suddenly.

Percy looked over at her, and he really couldn't help the grin that covered his face. He said, "Okay."

Ω

The next morning, Percy woke up with Annabeth lying across his chest. Her legs were tangled with his, and she had one of her hands twisted into his hair while her other one was still clamped with his. She was still asleep, and Percy could feel her breathing against his neck.

They hadn't meant to fall asleep on the couch last night, but after they watched a few more movies, Annabeth was basically in Percy's lap. With her hands running through his hair and over his palm, his eyes had fluttered close, and he fell asleep listening to Annabeth laugh. It was a good night.

Ω

Spending time with Annabeth was Percy's favorite thing to do now. It had even passed swimming and eating pizza. And really, she should feel totally honored that she was first on his list now.

But for some reason, Percy just felt _grounded _when he was around Annabeth. While she was next to him, smiling at him, holding his hand, arguing with him, Percy felt like he was _whole. _

And the weird part was, he hadn't realized that he had a part of him missing until she came to New York. He hadn't realized how great it was to actually be able to see Annabeth smile in person or reach out and grab her for a hug. He hadn't known how incredible it was to have her right beside him

He was going to miss her. Like _really bad. _There weren't any words to describe how much he would miss her. When she got on her plane to go back home, Percy was pretty sure that it would feel like she was taking half of him with her.

"Seaweed Brain?"

Percy jerked away from his thoughts and back to Annabeth. They were sitting on a bench in Central Park, and Annabeth had been telling a story about some of her other friends back in California. She was tucked into his side, with her head resting on his shoulder. Percy had his arm wrapped tight around her shoulders, and he was holding her other hand.

But she must have known that he wasn't listening to her anymore because she had stopped talking, and now she was staring up at him. Her gray eyes were watching his expectantly, and she squeezed his hand.

Percy cleared his throat, "Sorry, I just spaced out. What were you saying?"

"It wasn't important. Tell me what you were thinking about," she said, smoothing her hand over his arm.

He shrugged, "It's nothing."

"Yes, it is," she said. "Tell me."

"It's just…" his sighed. "I was thinking that I'm really going to miss you when you have to leave. I just really like having you here with me."

She smiled, and instead of it being sad like Percy expected, her eyes were sparkling. She shifted until she could look straight into his eyes. Her other hand twisted into his hair, and she was impossibly close to his face.

"I was going to wait to tell you, but…" she trailed off and looked at him excitedly.

Percy tightened his arm around her. His heart was beating _way _too fast. He blamed it on her. "What?"

"Well, you weren't the only reason that we came to New York. I mean, you _are _the most important to me, but this trip was also sort of a preview. Sort of like a test-run of the city," she said.

"Annabeth, what are you talking about?" He asked. She needed to stop talking in circles.

She grinned at him, "I was accepted at NYU. I'm starting school here in the fall with you."

Percy stared at her. He said, "What?"

She laughed again and pressed her forehead against his, "I'm going to live in New York. I'm going to go to school with you. I'm going to see you every day. I'm going to—"

He cut her off and pulled her closer, pressing his face against hers. She was laughing, but her breath was short. Her nose brushed his, and Percy froze.

He wanted to kiss her.

It would be so easy. She was already so close. Percy could just run his hand up her back to her neck and pull her closer. If he titled his head down by half of a centimeter, his lips would be on top of hers.

But… Annabeth was his best friend. Surely he would mess up their relationship if he kissed her, wouldn't he? He couldn't risk losing her like that.

Before he could make a decision, Annabeth pulled back slightly so he could see her eyes. She wasn't smiling anymore, and she was biting her lip instead. She looked nervous all of a sudden. Percy could literally count the number of times he had seen her nervous on one hand.

"Percy," she whined. "Tell me what you're thinking. I can't read your mind."

"I—" he stammered. He couldn't find his voice.

She pulled back even more, and Percy curled his hands around her sides to stop her from moving away completely. She said, "You don't want me to come to school in New York?"

Her words knocked the wind out of him, and strangely, he could speak again. He rushed to explain. "No! I just—I can't _believe _this. You're really coming to school here in the fall? Like, no joke. You're being serious?"

"Yes."

He gave her the theatrics that she had been expecting the first time. He jumped up from the bench and spun her around in circles. Annabeth squealed and laughed loudly, clutching his shoulders as he held her up off of the ground.

"Seriously?" Percy breathed when he had stopped spinning. He was still holding her, and she looked down at him and smiled.

"Seriously," she said with a nod.

"This is crazy. Oh my god, Annabeth," he said. "I can't believe this. I'm going to get to see you almost every day. You'll literally be like a ten minute walk away from me at all times," he said. He was still staring up at her in shock.

She nodded, "I know. It's crazy."

He was silent, and he set her back down on the ground. Instead of letting her move away, Percy kept his arm twisted tightly around her waist. Their thighs and hips were pressed together. Her smile was gone, and she blinked up at him.

Percy tried to calm his frantic heart rate. Annabeth could probably hear it.

Fuck it. He was going to do it.

Percy bent his head forward slightly, and his nose brushed hers again. She took a sharp breath, and her hands were resting limply against his chest.

"Annabeth," Percy said. His voice was low and barely audible. Blood was roaring in his ears so he could barely hear himself.

"Percy?" She whispered, staring at him.

He hesitated for half of a second before he murmured, "I really want to kiss you."

She gasped slightly, and Percy waited patiently. He didn't move until she shifted a smidge closer to him. She breathed, "Then kiss me."

He moved forward, covering her lips with his. He kissed her softly, and one of her hands ran up his chest and neck before twisting into his hair. He gasped into her mouth when her other hand edged down to rake over his ribs.

Percy pulled back before the kiss got too heavy. Annabeth was smiling, and Percy was positive that his expression mirrored hers. He pressed his forehead to hers and squeezed her sides softly at the places his hands rested.

"Kiss me again," she hummed, ordering him around as usual.

He laughed, and his face felt sort of red. But he did what he was told, and he leaned forward to put his lips back against hers. She huddled against his body while they kissed, pressing her stomach against his.

When he pulled back again, Annabeth was smiling up at him, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, his heart dropping to his stomach.

She shook her head and hugged him tighter, pressing her face to his so their noses touched. She said, "This is going to make it so much harder to leave you."

And yeah, Percy probably should have thought about that, but he just didn't care. Not one bit. If he could kiss Annabeth just a few times, that would be worth all of the pain that he was going to feel when she left. Hopefully.

"But you're coming back," Percy said. His voice was still heavy, but he needed to hear something positive from Annabeth right now.

She sighed, "Eight months."

"Seven years," Percy countered, pressing a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. "We made it that long. Eight months is nothing."

She smiled slowly, and Percy could tell that it was a real one. Some part of him exhaled in relief. She nodded and said, "Yeah. You're right."

"I usually am," Percy teased, rubbing his hands in circles on her sides.

Annabeth laughed all of a sudden and leaned forward, cutting him off with a kiss. She pulled back from him and smirked, "Says the guy who can't even do his math homework on his own."

Percy rolled his eyes, "You're going to hold that over me forever."

"Well, look at that, you're right again," she teased him, jabbing him in the stomach. She wormed out of his arms and ran ahead shouting, "Bet you can't catch me, loser!"

Percy was grinning as he jogged after her. And yeah, he did catch her.

Ω

"Annabeth," Percy whined. "Come on, let's go."

She glared at him, but the look was probably softer than what she meant for it to be. She kept putting her clothes into her suitcase. "Let me finish this Percy, then I'm all yours. I promise."

He sighed loudly and dramatically, and he grinned when she laughed. After a few more minutes, Annabeth had her suitcase packed up, and Percy watched as she closed it.

Tonight was Annabeth's last night in New York. Their flight left tomorrow at nine, so Percy was skipping school in the morning to go see her off. They were going to grab breakfast together, and then they were going to meet their parents at the airport. He was trying not to think about it.

They were dating now. Percy could reach over to kiss her whenever he wanted. He could put her all over his Instagram and Snapchat (not that he hadn't already been doing that because his Instagram was ninety-nine percent Annabeth). But the good thing was, they still acted like best friends (except for the kissing part which was totally cool with Percy). He had been kind of afraid that something would shift and be different between them, but they were still the same. Although, Percy thought that since he was dating Annabeth now, his feelings had _grown _for her. Like, it felt like he loved her even _more_.

And she was leaving tomorrow.

_Eight months, _Percy chanted to himself. _We can do it. _

Annabeth turned toward him, and as Percy was sitting up, she grabbed the front of his shirt and crashed her lips to his.

He was surprised, but he adjusted quickly. They fell back onto her bed, and she crawled up on top of him, straddling his hips. She was kissing him desperately, and Percy ran his hands up her back. Annabeth made a muffled noise against his lips when he pushed one of his hands into her hair. Percy sighed into her mouth and—

This was too much. They needed to stop. Especially if she planned on being gone for eight months.

He slid his hand to her side and gently pushed her back just a little. She was breathing heavily, and so was Percy. Her hair was mussed from his hands, and her red lips were swollen. She frowned at him and said, "What?"

"Nothing," he breathed.

"It's something," she said, leaning down and pressing her lips to his jaw. Her chest was brushing against his, and Percy hummed happily because she was so close.

"'M just thinking," he murmured.

"Well don't do that," she whispered into his ear, making him shiver.

Percy guided her face back to his and kissed her. He spoke against her lips, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Annabeth didn't answer, but she deepened their kiss again. Percy didn't open his eyes until he felt something drip onto his face.

He pulled back suddenly, and Annabeth had her eyes squeezed shut tight. There were tears rolling down her cheeks. Her shoulders were shaking.

Percy sat up and pulled her back into his arms. She let out a sob, and then she was crying really hard. Percy felt like his heart was breaking in two. He held onto her tightly, and she buried her face in his chest, grasping his shirt in her hands.

They sat on her bed in her hotel room until she stopped crying. Percy held her and murmured softly into her ear the whole time, and eventually, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. Percy kept one of his hands on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her voice was raw. "I just got really sad. I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"Don't be sad," he whispered.

"Percy, how can I not be sad?" She asked him. Her eyes were red.

"I don't know. I'm sad too."

She leaned forward again and pressed her lips to his quickly, "I don't want to go back."

"I know you don't, but you're coming back here soon. You're going to go back home and finish school and then we're going to do something for Senior Trip, and then you'll move out here in August. Deal?" He said, rubbing his hands over her back.

Annabeth nodded and said, "Yeah, the only problem is that I feel more at home here with you than I do in San Francisco."

And _really, _Annabeth? His heart was already ripped into a million tiny pieces. She didn't have to say that.

He hugged her tight, "I know."

Ω

Percy felt like he was going to fall apart. He wasn't handling this very well.

They were at the airport. Annabeth was leaving.

She was clutching his hand, and Percy was carrying her backpack on one of his shoulders. She kept stopping to hug him. Her dad was rolling her suitcase somewhere in front of them with Percy's mom. Percy and Annabeth had promised to meet them at the security gate.

When Percy spotted his mom and Annabeth's dad standing a few feet away, he stopped and pulled Annabeth into his arms again. She huddled against him, gripping his waist tightly.

"Hey, I love you," Percy said suddenly.

She squeezed him tighter, "I love you too."

"Call me when you get home?" He asked.

"Duh."

"Okay," Percy said, pulling back from her arms.

She leaned up and caught his lips in a kiss. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.

Before she could say anything, Percy nodded and whispered, "I know."

Her bottom lip started trembling, but after another second, she gathered herself and pushed her shoulders back. She reached out and took her backpack from Percy, and he collapsed in on himself. He felt like he couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had just sucker punched him in the throat.

"I love you," she said again, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his again. Percy was going to start crying. "I'll miss you so much."

"I miss you already," he muttered.

"Eight months," she reminded him, running her hand through his hair like she had done the first time she had seen him. That felt like a goodbye in itself.

He nodded and took a deep breath, "We can do it."

She nodded and studied his face for a minute before she took his hand and pulled him forward to meet their parents. Percy shook Dr. Chase's hand as Annabeth hugged his mom. Annabeth gave him one last hug, two more kisses, and an _I love you_ before she was stepping away from him and waving goodbye. She didn't turn around in time though, and Percy caught the tears that were rolling down her face.

Annabeth disappeared from his sight, and Percy turned to his mom and cried.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review!**

**-SomethingMoreCreative**


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